Happily Ever After
by Azn-Anime-Babe
Summary: Rin is almost a woman. It's time for her to get married. Who will she choose?
1. The Eyes In The Darkness

Chapter One: The Eyes In The Darkness

Lord Sesshomaru?….Lord Sesshomaru? Rin called wandering through the darkness. _Where is everyone? _She wondered as she walked through the castle. It was a new moon and the castle was as still as a grave, and dark as a hole.. Suddenly she felt a strong presence behind her and turned around. All she could see were large glowing red eyes, and they were coming closer and closer. She ran as fast as her legs could carry her but tripped. As she fell she turned around to see the eyes on top of her. She screamed and then all was gone.

Rin awoke drenched in her own sweat and tangled in her summer sheets.

"Wha…? Oh" She sighed, as she sat up. It had only been a dream. It was still dark but she could sense the sun rising. She faintly heard the sounds of the servants, demons, and humans alike, preparing the castle for morning. _Mmm _She thought smelling the air. _Breakfast. _

"Rin." she heard a distressed Jaken call. She looked over and saw his bright yellow eyes peaking through her door. "Are you alright, I heard you screaming in your sleep again."

"Master Jaken!" she exclaimed, throwing a pillow at him. "I told you to knock before entering!" She quickly covered herself with her sheets. The summer air was getting hotter and hotter and less and less clothing was needed for sleep. She had been naked this time and it still wasn't enough as she had awoken drenched in sweat.

Jaken blushed and shut the door. She could hear him grumbling something about "Ungrateful wretch…only looking out for her…."

She rolled her eyes and got out of bed still wrapped in her sheets. A quick look in the mirror told her it was time to bathe. She looked around for her outer Yukata which she had stripped off last night as it became hotter, but it was nowhere to be seen. She even looked under the bed. She sighed. _The servants must have cleaned my room last night while I was sleeping. _She shuddered. The thought of someone in her room other than Lord Sesshomaru while she was sleeping disturbed her. Speaking of Lord Sesshomaru. She looked at her window. Sure enough there was another gift wrapped in scented paper for her. She smiled and ran to it holding it to her nose to inhale the scent. Then she gently opened it and smiled. This time he had gotten her a book. It looked old and slightly worn but she would treasure it no less.

Suddenly there was a knock at her door. "Come in." she said still slightly dazed and flipping through the book. When the door opened she looked and abruptly stood up. "Good morning Lord Sesshomaru" She said with a big smile.

"Good morning Rin. How do you like your gift?" He asked.

"Oh. I love it! Thank you so much Lord Sesshomaru." She ran to hug him and to her surprise he did not hug her back. "Lord Sesshomaru?" She looked up at his face. His head was slightly turned away from her.

"Rin. Where are your clothes?" He asked.

"Oh!" She gasped looking down at herself. Her left breast was slightly exposed. She quickly covered herself with the sheet. "I think someone took them to be washed while I was asleep." But he didn't seem to be paying attention to her. He was sniffing the air. He gently brushed her away then walked to the window.

"Someone was here." He stated.

"Lord Sesshomaru…"

"Prepare yourself for breakfast." He ordered. Then walked out without a backwards glance.

Rin sighed. _Baka._ She thought to herself. She went to the window and looked outside. The sun had risen and the garden sparkled like diamonds where the sun hit the dew drops. So beautiful. The garden she looked at was built just for her as a gift for her ninth birthday by Lord Sesshomaru. It was a private garden as it was built in between two buildings. The Main castle which mostly catered to the needs of Rin and the sleeping chambers of a few trusted servants, and Lord Sesshomaru's private wing. Directly across from her window was another. The window of lord Sesshomaru's sleeping chambers. Sometimes when she felt lonely she would come sit on the balcony and stare out at the stars or maybe the gardens and occasionally would catch a glimpse of her Lord through his window. And sometimes He would come out onto his balcony and watch the stars with her. Or sometimes just watch her. Many times she would sit in her garden during the day or take a walk at night, and she would look up to see him watching her. Sometimes he even joined her. And twice this month she had come out onto her balcony to find him sitting there on the rail. She only sat and talked to him while he mostly just listened and stared at her with a puzzled look on his face. The second time she asked him "What's wrong my Lord?" but he had only shook his head and suggested she go to bed. When she lay down she looked out her window only to find the billowing curtains and the empty balcony.

Another knock on the door startled her out of her thoughts and she turned around with an annoyed "Come iiiiiiiiin." The door opened and a bright pair of green eyes attached to a very tiny cat like frame stared her down this time. "Oh. Takara, come in." said Rin.

"Princess Rin? Are you ready to be bathed?" She asked timidly.

Rin gave the woman a bright smile and said "Of course." Before following her out the door still wrapped only in her sheets.


	2. Bath Time

Chapter Two: Bath Time

"Takara?" Rin asked walking down to the bathhouse.

"Yes Princess?"

"Why is it that everyone calls me princess?" Rin asked.

"Oh. Well I supposed it's because you are treated as a Princess. You are the most well dressed and cared for female in this castle and it isn't as if we could call you Lady Rin. Besides Lord Sesshomaru treasures you very much and Princess seems like a very fitting title for someone like you." she said quietly with a small smile.

"Mhm," Rin said gently, thinking it over.

When they arrived at her own personal bathhouse Rin was greeted by several ladies offering her different bathing potions to chose from. And asking which treatments she desired today.

"Would you like your nails filed Princess Rin?"

"How would you like your hair done today Princess?"

"May I color your lips Princess Rin?"

She chose a jasmine scented potion for her hair and a lavender vanilla scented one for her skin. She decided on a rosy pink color for her nails and cheeks and a lighter pink for her lips. Before her fifteenth birthday she was never offered the option of coloring her face and nails. She thanked the ladies graciously as they washed her and catered to her every need. It's not as if she loved being spoiled to death. Then again she didn't hate it. Lord Sesshomaru expected her to be well taken care of. She could do it just fine herself but she had made great friends of the servants who cared for her. She hated them to think poorly of her so she always brought them flowers and fruits from her garden and showered them with praise, appreciation and even love. They in turn took care for her and loved her as one of them. The demon servants were given the higher jobs of caring for Rin and decorating the castle, while the humans where asked to clean and cook. They were all treated equally by Lord Sesshomaru however. And Rin made friends among both parties.

A/N: Just a random chapter:P


	3. Sweet Sixteen

A/N: Very short chapter. I broke it off from the next one. Hopefully I'll have the rest up soon.

Chapter Three: Sweet Sixteen

When she was finished she joined Lord Sesshomaru and Master Jaken for breakfast. Master Jaken blushed when she took a seat across from him and would not look at her the whole meal. Lord Sesshomaru seemed to be avoiding her gaze as well. Then again he seemed to be very busy lately. She had never felt so awkward around her master. And he seemed so…different. When she had started her cycle (as she had learned from one of the older servants) her Lord began acting stranger. Hardly noticeable from anyone else. But to her it just **felt** different when in his presence. Whenever she was on her time of the month her Lord was nowhere to be found. _Perhaps the smell of blood was not pleasant for him. _she had thought.

"Rin." Her thoughts were interrupted by his voice. "You are almost sixteen years of age." She knew. She also knew that was why she had been receiving so many gifts lately. And not just from him. Often many gifts were piled up on her bed at the end of the day. All from servants, demons and humans alike, warriors from Sesshomaru's army, village people from nearby, even some very expensive ones from other lords of far away lands. "Many girls would be expected to marry and have a child by this age." She gulped. She did not like where this was going. "But since you have lived here that has not been a choice available to you. At the end of this week you will have a party to celebrate your becoming a woman and I will invite all the servants, warriors, lords, and even the common people to attend. You will have a wide variety of men to choose from…to choose…as your mate." He finished harshly.

She was stunned. She sat there for some time staring at her food. Both pairs of eyes where finally on hers now, waiting for her to respond. "So." she swallowed the lump in her throat. "Is that why you've been acting so strange Lord Sesshomaru?"

He scrutinized her for a second before answering "Yes."

"May I be excused?" Before waiting for an answer she got up and ran to her room, shutting the large wooden doors behind her, and for the first time, locking them. Throwing the few accumulating presents on the floor she flopped onto her bed and curled into a ball. She knew what finding a husband would mean. It would mean leaving Lord Sesshomaru and her friends at the castle. She had spent nearly seven years at this place. It was her home. But that was hardly the biggest issue. She began to cry.


	4. Sweet Dreams

Chapter Four: Sweet Dreams

It wasn't till dusk when she heard the rustling of her curtains did she realize she had fallen asleep for almost all of the day. She got up and shut her doors that led to the balcony and locked those too. Then she turned and began to walk to her private smaller bathhouse located inside her room. Out of the corners of her eyes she caught something silver on her bed. She turned and gasped. Lord Sesshomaru was laying there as if he had been there the whole time. Suddenly she was filled with anger. Another first for her. Anger was never something she felt when she was with Lord Sesshomaru. She picked up the closest thing to her. A brush that was given to her by Lord Sesshomaru, and had the sudden urge to throw it at him. She lifted it up and contemplated the action for a moment. Before the brush could leave her hand he had hold of her wrist and was boring his bright golden eyes into her chocolate brown ones. The look she was giving him was surprising to him. And anyone who knew him could clearly see that on his face. She was giving him a look of…defiance and anger a look no one dared give him if they wished to keep their life. Especially no one in **his** castle. He had the sudden urge to…well he didn't know. Just an urge.

After a moment of staring each other down she attempted to pull free. But for some reason he was not so willing to let her go. He took his free arm and snaked it around her waist. Why? He did not know. He was acting on instinct. An instinct that told him to pull her closer. So he did. He felt Rin's anger melting away like burning wax. She put her other hand on his shoulder to push him away but instead it came out as a gentle caress. From a distance it looked like they were dancing. Then he leaned his head down slowly and kissed her. The brush she had been holding fell from her hand. Her cheeks burned along with the rest of her body. And Lord Sesshomaru felt the rest of her anger evaporate. Using the arm he was holding her with he reached up and grabbed a handful of her hair pulling her head backwards. She gasped and he kissed the hollow at the base of her neck before releasing her to her surprise causing her to stumble backwards a bit and catch herself on the dressing mirror behind her. He then walked slowly to her bed and replaced himself the way he had been before.

"Lord Sesshomaru?" she said not realizing she was speaking.

He looked up at her and she walked towards him, stopping to pick up the brush she had dropped. She sat beside him and he sat up. She then moved behind him and began brushing his hair. A tradition that had started when she was ten.

_It was a stormy night and the flashes of light and sound of thunder startled her. At the time she was sleeping in a chamber across from Lord Sesshomaru's as her wing was still being built. She had run into his room frightened of the noise but he was nowhere to be found. She saw a light through the paper doors at the back of his chambers and opened them to find him sitting in his study reading by candlelight. She ran to him and climbed onto his lap crying. He comforted her for some time. Telling her stories about the sky Gods. When she calmed down he had brought her to his bed to sleep for the night as he still had some reading to do. It was then she had spotted a shiny silver brush and ran over to grab it. She then proceeded to brush his hair until she fell asleep._

She loved to play with his hair even at her age now. And often times would visit him after dinner just to tend to it. She was the only one allowed to tend to his hair and that pleased her very much.

Suddenly Lord Sesshomaru grabbed her and sat her in front of him. He then grabbed the brush from her hand and began brushing **her** hair. And how wonderful it felt. Her hair was tended to every day by skilled women. But none of their treatments could compare to this. He moved each and every piece away from her face as he went and occasionally raked his fingers through it gently scraping against her scalp, sending goose bumps all the way down her spine. She let out a sigh and he smiled to himself. He then gathered all her hair and moved it over her left shoulder before tossing the brush back onto the dresser. He pressed his lips against her right shoulder and sighed contently.

"Please forgive me." he said.

"Oh yes. Lord Sesshomaru I…" She was cut off by a finger over her lips.

"Do not fret Rin. This Sesshomaru would not have you forced to marry anyone you did not desire. If you are to find someone you wish to be with so be it. But if not, I will not force you from this castle. And I will not force you to marry." She turned her head to look up at him and smiled.

"Thank you." She sighed before leaning her head back against his chest. He began stroking her hair and before he knew it she was fast asleep in his arms. After a few minutes he attempted to get up only to have her groan and grab onto his sleeve. He settled back down and gently removed his kimono. Then thinking about her decided to remove hers as well so as not to over heat during the night.

"Sweet Dreams." He whispered. He then settled down under her and held her close drifting off to sleep as well.

A/N: awww. Don't you think that was cute ^-^ I tried my best to keep Sesshomaru in character but I'm not sure how I did. Let me know^_^


	5. Seashells

Chapter Five: Seashells

There was that dream again. Only, to Rin it didn't feel like a dream. She felt like something was coming after her and she knew she had to run. She knew there was a safe place at the end of the hall, and she knew she had to get there. But she couldn't move. She was stuck where she was and the horrible thing was going to get her. She then heard a growl and felt a vibration course through her.

She awoke to find herself still in the dream. A closer look around her told her she was in her room but she still felt that vibrating and heard that awful growling. Then she realized that she was in fact free of the dream. The noise was coming from Sesshomaru and the vibration from his chest.

She turned her head slightly to see his eyes brimming red and his teeth bared. He was growling…at the mirror. She gasped! The eyes from her dream were in her mirror! And they were staring right at her!

She knew she was no longer dreaming and that thought alone terrified her. Everything around her began to slowly fade out until all she could see was those horrible eyes. Then nature did her a favor and she completly blacked out.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The next morning Rin awoke alone. She sat up and abruptly looked at her mirror. No eyes. She looked around for any sign of Lord Sesshomaru, but could find none. After another scan of the room she began to wonder if it was _all_ just a dream. But when she picked up her brush, she saw a single strand of silky silver hair and smiled to herself.

After brushing her hair she decided to skip her bath and go straight to the table to eat as she hadn't had a decent meal in over 24 hours.

As she was leaving she saw it. A beautiful dress hanging neatly on her door. It was long and blue with pink and silver sea shell patterns embroidered into the sides. It was silky smooth to the touch and the fabric fell like water through her fingers when she lifted the hem. It flared out slightly at the hips and the inside of the bust was lined with whale bone to flatter and mold her figure. The bottom revealed a tiny bit of lace with intricate designs. It was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen inside of Lord Sesshomaru's castle.

Next to the dress was a pair of silver slippers encrusted with pink and blue seashells of every shape and size. She picked them up and tried them on. With every step the shells glimmered and sparkled like diamonds in the light.

"Lord Sesshomaru…" she whispered as she held the dress to her face. It had to be from him. There was no present by her window. And it would not have been wise to leave such a dress by the window anyhow.

When she took the shoes off to place them back beside the dress she saw a small piece of paper where the shoes had been before. She picked it up and read it.

_~I hope you like it. It was custom made in Europe for your birthday.~_

Underneath that line was Lord Sesshomaru's seal.

A/N:I'm sorry it took so long to update. I've been going through some things. Btw I did some research on what Europe was like during Feudal Japan and I'm not sure if it's right because all i got was Feudal Europe in my search engine. But if I'm correct then the medival times were beginning around this time in Japan seeing as how they seemed to have all the same weapons (Ex. Swords, Crossbows. Catapults...) Anyways I think that's the kind of dress royalty might have worn back then. I was planning on doing a lemony kinda story but I'm not so sure where to fit it in. If you'd rather I didn't let me know^_^


	6. Garden Party?

A/N: All I can do is apologize so…I'm soooo so so so so sorry!!! I've got a new computer so…all my old documents are gone. I forgot to save them to a jump drive. And many bad things have occurred here so at last here is chapter 6 of Happily Ever After. Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 6:Garden Party?

After putting the dress and shoes back into place Rin walked down to the breakfast hall to join Lord Sesshoumaru and Master Jaken for breakfast. She was surprised when she saw that no one was there and the table was not set. She walked into the kitchen and to her surprise was greeted by nearly all the servants rushing about and preparing breakfast. It didn't take the whole castle to make her and Lord Sesshoumaru breakfast. She looked around and saw Takara heating sake over the fire.

"Takara?" The young cat demon turned around.

"Yes Princess?"

"What's going on? Where is everybody?"

They are in the garden waiting for you dear." said a stern voice behind her. It was her nurse from her younger days. "Come with me." she grabbed Rin's arm gently and lead her back to her room, where she dressed her in a long kimono with flower print and pinned up her hair with a floral ornament. "Lord Sesshoumaru has invited all your suitors to the garden for breakfast. You will meet them all there."

"WHAT?!?!?!" Rin ran to her balcony and looked down at her garden. Sure enough there were several hundred men walking around carrying cups of sake and eating rice cakes. "When did they get here?"

"They began arriving shortly after you retired to your room yesterday. Lord Sesshoumaru requested that we not bother you with such news as you seemed…upset…The last are to be expected by tonight at the latest. Lord Sesshoumaru is having them stay in the lower levels of the main castle. But do not fear. Lord Sesshoumaru is having your room guarded night and day." She finished with an encouraging smile.

Rin simply glanced outside again and looked down. She spotted Lord Sesshoumaru's long silver hair in the breeze that ruffled it slightly. He looked up at her and beckoned her to come down with his eyes. She turned around to obey and walked out her door.

As she walked down to the garden she began to get nervous. There were several hundred men down there! What would she say to them all when she entered the garden? Surely they would expect a welcoming speech of some kind! What was she to do?


End file.
